Apnea Board Forum - CPAP | Sleep Apnea
Recently started APAP, best decision for my health I've ever made. - Printable Version

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Recently started APAP, best decision for my health I've ever made. - Moonlight Graham - 02-24-2017

I'm 45 and looking back I estimate I've had sleep apnea for close to 20 years. I knew I snored and always woke up tired but I just blew it off as normal aging and no big deal. 

In the last couple years my blood pressure was going up. (165/112) I blew it off for a while but decided it wasn't going to go back down on its own so I went to see my Dr. and he suggested blood pressure medicine. In the days leading up to the appointment I read about how sleep apnea could be a cause for hypertension so I asked if I should get a sleep study first to see if that was a possible cause. 

I had the sleep study, 2 of them actually because I literally didn't sleep a wink during the first one. The 2nd sleep study I managed to sleep enough to get a diagnosis of 47 AHI with O2 level dropping down to 79% at times. I was also told I didn't achieve REM sleep during the study so my numbers were likely to be worse than 47. 

Now that I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, it had my attention. I realized it was like someone was holding a pillow over my face and suffocating me hundreds of times a night, depriving my brain of oxygen and restorative sleep. 

So, I decided to do all of the research I could before my DME got ahold of me. I was surprised to learn about the wide range of health issues sleep apnea could possibly affect/cause. I realized a lot of them I had. High blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, memory loss, brain fog, lack of focus, anxiety, irritability, and always tired. 

I was excited to start therapy to see if CPAP would help some of the symptoms I was having so I did my homework by searching forums like this one. I learned that I should insist from my DME to give me a data capable APAP rather than a brick CPAP machine. I learned all I could about clinical menus & preferred ranges to set it around my titrated pressure. I learned about the different types of apneas, ramps, EPR, humidity, masks, and how to use Sleepyhead software. 

I think because I was so well informed on what to do and what to expect, I had immediate results that I can only describe as AMAZING!!It's been around one month since I started using my APAP & my AHI averages around 1! My blood pressure is down to around 118/82 regularly! I literally feel 20 years younger. I wake up on most days raring to go! I've noticed my brain fog has lifted, my focus is sharper, and I'm remembering things a lot better. My patience is better too. The world just seems brighter. My golf game is getting better too but that may or may not be related. Wink

I had forgotten what it felt like to get restorative sleep. It makes everything else easier. 

Knowing what I know now and how great I feel it upsets me that I didn't fix this years ago. I made life harder on myself for years, needlessly. Oh well better late than never right?

Anyways, I just wanted to thank the forum for helping me take right to this and for helping me get immediate results.

RE: Recently started APAP, best decision for my health I've ever made. - Effers - 02-24-2017

That is an amazing story Graham and congratulations on your successful therapy to this point. It is wonderful to hear when new users take well to the treatment. As a new user of CPAP (almost two weeks), it provides tremendous encouragement for us to continue to use the devices provided but also to use this forum. There is so much useful and positive information provided by users that post here. While I understand everyone reacts to CPAP treatment differently, your story does provide that "light at the end of the tunnel".

RE: Recently started APAP, best decision for my health I've ever made. - RichardVT - 02-24-2017

Thanks for sharing that, Graham, it is encouraging to read!

RE: Recently started APAP, best decision for my health I've ever made. - Cranberry Ray - 02-24-2017

Congratulations Moonlight! Can never get enough success stories. It's great that you were so involved from the beginning so you could hit the ground running with your treatment. I wish more people would follow this path, it really can change your life.

Well-done

RE: Recently started APAP, best decision for my health I've ever made. - Marillion - 02-24-2017

Hello everyone.  First time poster here.  Just joined today. 

This was encouraging to me also.  I have been on my machine for about 5 days now and I can already notice a difference.  Similarly, I am 47 and suspect I have had severe sleep apnea for years now.  Thank you for taking your time to post your experiences.  I will try to do so at some point down the road soon also.

There is just a wealth of information here.  I'm very glad I joined!  Now I just have to get around to installing that sleepyhead software...

RE: Recently started APAP, best decision for my health I've ever made. - Crimson Nape - 02-24-2017

Hi Marillion - Welcome

To help you down the road, look at links at the bottom of this post. They will help when you're ready to display your SH graphs and also understand what SH is showing.

RE: Recently started APAP, best decision for my health I've ever made. - Moonlight Graham - 02-24-2017

(02-24-2017, 03:46 PM)Crimson Nape Wrote: Hi Marillion - Welcome

To help you down the road, look at  links at the bottom of this post. They will help when you're ready to display your SH graphs and also understand what SH is showing.

Very useful links, thank you!!

RE: Recently started APAP, best decision for my health I've ever made. - Moonlight Graham - 02-24-2017

(02-24-2017, 03:34 PM)KAttila Wrote: Hello everyone.  First time poster here.  Just joined today. 

This was encouraging to me also.  I have been on my machine for about 5 days now and I can already notice a difference.  Similarly, I am 47 and suspect I have had severe sleep apnea for years now.  Thank you for taking your time to post your experiences.  I will try to do so at some point down the road soon also.

There is just a wealth of information here.  I'm very glad I joined!  Now I just have to get around to installing that sleepyhead software...
That's great that you are already feeling a difference! Sleepyhead is awesome! I'm still using it daily to dial in my settings. I like that I can zoom in on an apnea and See if it may have been caused by a leak or if I may have been awake at that time. I still have a lot to learn about it but it's very cool to see actual results in Sleepyhead when you tweak a setting on the APAP. 
Good luck with your therapy, keep it up! Wink

RE: Recently started APAP, best decision for my health I've ever made. - tedgreen - 02-24-2017

Sleepyhead is indeed a great piece of software, and your comment just prompted me to donate to its creator. Check the help menu on Sleepyhead...

RE: Recently started APAP, best decision for my health I've ever made. - Marillion - 02-24-2017

Thanks for the good wishes everyone!  Also, thanks Crimson for the helpful links!  They are indeed helpful.  I will check them all out.  I look forward to spending some more time around here.